Method of electric welding



May 22, 1928.

1,670,700 J. M. WEED METHOD OF ELECTRIC WELDING Original Filed April 28, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l vn/entor:

May 22, 192s. 1,670,700 J. M. WEED METHOD OF ELECTRIC WELDING original Filed April 28, 1925 z sheets-sheet 2 Patented May 22, 1928-.

UNITED STATES JAMES E. WEED, OF BALLSTON LAKE,I NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T GENERAL ELECTRIC A, 1,070,700 PATENT OFFICE.

COMPANY, A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

METHOD OF ELECTRIC WELDING.

Original application filed April 28, 1925, Serial No. 26,459. Divided and this application led July 29, 1927. Serial No. 209,347.

My invention relates to electric welding and has asan object the provision of an improved method of welding.

This application is a division of `my application Serial No. 26,459 i'led April 28', 1925, for improvements in electric welding.

I have already described in my Letters Patent No. 1,449,206, March 20, 1923, a method of welding whereby a resistance coating interposed between the surfaces to be united is utilized to localizeV and intensify 'the heat of the weld at these surfaces and whereby heating of the electrodes through which current is transmitted to the metal of the weld is minimized by providing cleanv surfaces at the points of contact between the work and electrodes. As explained in the aforementioned Letters-Patent, this method of we'lding may be utilized to advantage in the welding of heavy metal parts where pressures likely to produce deformation of vthe welding electrodes are required to produce intimate contact between the surfaces to Vbe united and where heavy currents are required to heat the metal to a temperature suitable for welding. In accordance with my Apresent invention, the etiiciency of this method of welding is further increased by conning the'welding current, in its passage through the contiguous surfaces of the membersto be welded, to the surface areas which it is desired to unite, and by further reducing the contact resistance between the electrodes and the work.

The welding current is confined to the desired surface areas by the provision of an insulating coating between the members toY be welded except at the areas where the welds are desired. The contact resistance between the electrodes and the work is reduced by the applica-tion of a conductive coating to the work at. the areas of contact between the work and the electrodes.

My invention will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings and its scope will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figs. 1 and 2 show various features of aspot welding machine, according to the above-identified application, which is suitable for practicing the present invention; Figs. 3, 4 and 5 illustrate one type of apparatus which may be utilized in the application of coatings to the parts to be united; and Figs. 6, 7 and 8l diagrammatically illustrate ways of utilizing my invention in the production of line welds.

Fig. 1 shows a spot welding apparatus comprising hollow electrodes 1 and 2 which are supported by members 3 and 4 respectively and are arranged to be supplied with current from a suitable source through leads 5 and 6. At its free end, the support member 4 is provided with a cylindrical socket wherein a stationary cylindrical member 8 having a reduced end portion 9 is mounted by means of a screw, 10 extending through the base of the socket. A terminal member 11 connected to the lead 6 is provided with an opening adapted to receive the end portion 9 ofthe member 8 and is attached to a hollow plunger 12 which is biased to its illustrated position by a spring 13, is provided with a slot 14 ada ted to receive a screw 15 fixed to thc mem er 8 for holding the said plunger against the s ring 13. Said plunger is enlarged at its eft hand end to form a collar adapted to carry the screws for attaching terminal member. l1. As shown more clearly in Fig. 2,'a U-shaped member 18 is attached to the terminal member 11 by means of bolts 19 and is spaced therefrom by collars 20 to permit ready removal and replacement of the electrode 2 which is dprovided at its right hand end with a iange 22, made of high speed steel or other material having hi h compressive strength when subjected to a i h temperature, is arranged to engage the le t hand end of the member 8 and to be forced into contact with the surportion 21. A pressure member face of plate 16 when the member 12 is A moved to the right. The member 22 is provided with a head 23 by which it is retained within the electrode 2.

A mechanism comprising electrode 1, pressure member 24, U-shaped member 25, terminal member 26, hollow plunger 27, cylindrical member 28 and spring 29 is supported at the free end of the member 3. The arrangement and operation of this mechanism `will be readil understood in view of what has been sai with respect to the mechanism supported at the end of the member 4. It will be observed that the cylindrical member 28 is provided at its left hand end with an enlarged portion 29 which ing the member 28 to the-right `when it is desired to clamp the work between the Yjaws of the machine.

Assuming y'the various parts of the machine to be in their illustrated positions, the

work may be clampedbetween the jaws of the machine by operating the member 30 in a manner vto move the member 28 into enagement with the pressure member 24 thus Iorcingthis member into contact with the work and pressinggtheI work against the pressure member 22Y which is forced into engagement with the reduced end portion 9 of the'member 8. Under these conditions, the

'work is rigidly clamped between the pressure members 22 and 24; the electrodes are held in contact with opposite sides of the work by pressures dependent on the `resiliency of the springs 13 and 29 and a spot Weld between the plates 16 and 17 may be produced b connecting the leads 5 and 6 with a suita le source of welding current.

In welding parts thin enough to be forced into intimate contact b the pressure members 22 and 24, it has een found that current is transmitted between the electrodes.

and work through areas determined by the contact surfaces of the electrodes; that current is transmitted between the parts to be welded through areas dependent on the contact surfaces vof the pressure members; and

that little diiiiculty is encountered in restricting the welding current to the areas to be united. In the case of thickparts, however, the pressure between the contiguousA surfaces is more or less 'uniformly distrib uted over an area much larger than the contact surfaces between the work and pressure members, and for this reason, the welding current ris not restricted to the areas to be united. This dissi ation of current and the consequent dissipation of heating effect over.

areas larger than those which itis desired to unite is, in fact, increased by the resist'- ance coating described in Patent No. 1,449,- 206, although, as there stated, said resistance coating does tend to localize the heat at the surfaces between which the weld is to occur as distinguished from the masses of the bodies to be welded. In accordance with the present invention, this ditliculty is avoided by the provision of an insulating coating, interposed between the contiguous surfaces of the work in a manner to restrict the welding current-to the areas to be united. This insulating coating may consist of any suitable material such as wliitewash or certain mineral paints comprising solvents whichare readily volatilized, and may be applied to one of the work surfaces in a manner which will be readily understood upon consideration of Figs. 3, 4 and 5.

Fig. 4 shows a spring clip or shield device comprising a disk 36 for covering the spot to be welded while the insulating coat is being applied, a ring or washer 38 for marking the points at which the welding electrodeis to be applied or for permitting the application of a conductive coating, such as metallic paint for example, at these points, andl springs 37 for holdingthe disk and ring in contact with opposite sides of the work while 'the insulating coating is being applied to one side of the work and the location of the weld is being marked on the other side of the work. Asindicated'by Fig. 3,* a number ofshield devices may be placed along the edge of the work at points where it is desired to produce a spot weld, a strip of coating being applied along the edge of the work as indicated by the shaded area of Fig. 5. The spots which are protected from the coating by the disks 36 are indicated at 39. With the coating thus applied to one part of the work, Ithe surfaces to be united are placed in contact withone another and spot welds are produced between their surfaces at4 the points39. As previously indicated, this method of welding heavy parts has the great advantage that they heat for welding is not only localized and intensified at the surfaces 'to be welded together by reason of a high resistance coating at the spots 39, but the efficiency is further increased by reason of the fact that the insulation coatin causes the welding current to pass only t rough these limited areas.

As diagrammatically indicated by Figs. 6 and 7, the method of welding described above ma be utilized to produce a line weld between t e sheets 16 and 17. In Fig. 6, the electrodes 40 and 41, which are presumed to` b e connected to the secondary terminals Yof a welding transformer, are *shown as partly surrounding the pressureV members 42 and 43, and the conductive coating a plied tothe surface of contact between t e sheet 16 and electrode40 is indicated at 44.

It will of course be understood that a likeconductive coating is applied to the surface of contact between the sheet 17 and the electrode 41. In Fig. 7, the insulating coating 45 is shown as applied along the edge of the sheet 17 in a manner to leave a strip of surface 46 along the line of the weld. This strip is preferably provided with a high resistance coating. The electrodes and presiso sure members shown by Fig. 6, mounted in suitable supports, such as are described in connection with Figs. 1 are moved to the right in step by stepmanner, to produce a series of overlapping spot welds between the sheets 16 and 17. With the electrode arranged slightly in advance of the pressure member as indicated, the current is trans- `mitted through the new areas to be welded rather than through the completed weld.

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic showing of a. disk electrode apparatus which may bev utilized to produce a line weld between the sheets 16 and 17 in accordance with the method described above.' This apparatusy comprises disk electrodes 47 and 48 connected to one secondary terminal of a weldin transformer 49, and like electrodes 50 an 51 connected to the other secondary terminal of the transformer .49. Pressure rolls 52 and 53 are provided for forcing the sheets 16 and 17 into intimate contact with one another along the line weld. As in the case of the apparatus indicated by Fi 6, it is (preferable that the electrodes slight y'pre-v ce e the pressure rolls along the line of the weld in order that the current may be! transmitted through the work to be welded rather than through the completed weld.

The embodiments of the invention illus-v trated and described herein. have been selected for the purpose of clearly setting forth the principles involved. -It will` be apparent, however, that the invention is susceptible of being modified to meetthe different conditions'encountered in its use and I therefore aim to cover by the a pended claims all modifications within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

my hand this 28th di? What- I claim as new and desire secure byLetters Patent of the United States is 1. The methodof electric welding heavy metal parts which consists in interposing a coating of insulation bet-Ween said parts except over the area where the Weld is to be produced, applying pressure to said parts over areas corresponding to the uncoated area, and transmitting current-to the outer surfaces of said parts over areas larger than said uncoated area.

2. The method of spot welding thick' l 3. In spot welding thick plates by mea-nsl ofl an electric welding machine having relatively large electrodes, the method of limiting the area over which the current is transmitted from one plate to the other which consists in c'pating one of said plates with insulation excepting.l the area at which the weld is desired.

` 4. The method of electric welding metal arts which comprises interposing' a coat-4 ing of insulation between said arts except over the area where the wel isV to be produced, and applying pressure and current to the outside surfaces of said parts.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto -set of July, 1927. AMES M. WEED. 

